Mother Nature smiles kindly on Ice Bowl

A prime example, all one has to do is tune in TV coverage of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Mild temperatures have led to poor slope conditions, which in turn have led to some skiing events being postponed.

On a more local note, weather has affected the area recreation scene, too.

During the annual Ice Bowl, a disc golf tournament that benefits Second Harvest food bank and the Young-Williams Animal Shelter, organizers and players have come to expect not-so-nice weather. The event's name - the Ice Bowl - as well as the fact it's scheduled in the middle of winter ought to be a pretty good indicator of the weather conditions, right?

Well, of course not. We all know (or should by now) that Mother Nature has a mind of her own.

"When having an Ice Bowl you think of cold and snow, but around here it's hit or miss," said Warren Sharp, acting president of the Knoxville Disc Golf Club and Ice Bowl organizer. "And this year was a miss."

According to Sharp, "it was 50 and sunny/cloudy."

The warmer weather, as it turns out, actually attracted 61 players, who helped raise $1,945 and collected 362 pounds of food for Second Harvest. Steve Foster contributed the most food and money, while Pat Miller placed second in the collections contest.

The disc golfers also filled the bed of a full-sized pickup truck with sheets, blankets, towels and dog food that was donated to the Young-Williams Shelter.

In The Scrum: Inclement weather continues to take its toll on the University of Tennessee men's rugby team's schedule, as the U.S. Naval Academy cancelled its trip to Atlanta this past weekend - where it was scheduled to play the varsity Vols. Ohio State's team followed Navy's lead and cancelled, as well, thus all matches to be hosted at Life University on Saturday and Sunday were called off.

The Vol reserves; however, were scheduled to play the Chattanooga Rugby Club reserves in Chattanooga Saturday. You may visit http://www.tennesseerugby.com for the score and match details.

UT's varsity match against Mississippi, originally scheduled Feb. 6 and postponed because of inclement weather and unplayable field conditions, will be played in Knoxville on March 13.

In addition to the Ole Miss match, there are only two home matches remaining this season - Feb. 27 against Indiana and March 20 against Georgia.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat: Another club hoping for spring-like weather conditions - sooner, rather than later - is the East Tennessee Rowing Organization (ETRO), which kicked off its 2010 spring season a little early with rowing lessons for boys and girls, ages 13-18. Interested rowers should meet at the boat dock at Lashbrooke Nursery, 3498 Rankin Ferry Road in Louisville. Lessons start this month and continue through April.

ETRO, a community club that rows out of the Smoky Mountain Rowing Center in Louisville, is a member of US Rowing and offers recreational and competitive rowing programs for adults and youth.